Flowers had 65 tackles, one interception and nine passes defended en route to the Pro Bowl last year. He played mostly in the slot, a spot currently occupied by Bill Bentley and fourth-round draft pick Nevin Lawson in Detroit.

He would be something of an odd fit here, given defensive coordinator Teryl Austin's preference for rangy, speedy cornerbacks who can run his press-man scheme. Flowers is good, but also 5-foot-9.

And Flowers, the biggest name on the free agent market, could command more money than Detroit can afford to play. The team has less than $1.5 million in cap room for 2014.

Still, Flowers is the most talented cornerback available, and the Lions seem to be interested in at least exploring whether he could improve a unit that currently projects to start Rashean Mathis and Darius Slay.

Mathis was Detroit's top cornerback last year, but is something of a wild card at 34 years old and perhaps not the best fit for such an aggressive scheme. Slay, who possesses 4.36 speed, is a better fit but also a wild card given his profound struggles as a rookie in 2013.

The Lions did add veteran cornerback Cassius Vaughn in free agency and Lawson in the fourth round of the draft, but neither is a candidate to start, even given the dearth of reliable talent at the position.